WINTER FAT BIKING

Walden Cross Country and Walden Mountain Bike Club (WMBC) partner to offer winter fat biking at the Walden Trail Centre on some of our single-track snowshoe trails. Fat bikers are reminded to show how courteous they can be to other trail users (snowshoers and skiers) and remain aware of the delicate nature of the relationship between the three groups of trail users.

 

BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT

Check the website for fat bike trail conditions to ensure they are open. Just because ski trails are open, does not mean bike trails are too. Soft conditions and/or Ski Club events supersede riding. Cold weather will create a firm trail and this is key to making fat biking a low impact sport on our trails.

 

WHAT ARE FAT BIKES?

Fat bikes have special frames to accommodate very wide tires.  The narrowest tire we allow at Walden is 4", but you will find tires 4.5" and wider perform the best on the groomed trails . Tire pressure is kept very low at 3-8 psi, providing a large contact patch on the snow, good traction and preventing the tires from sinking into the trail. To protect the integrity of our trails, these specialized bikes are a necessity. Please leave your summer mountain bikes at home.

 

WHERE CAN I RIDE?

At the Walden Trail Centre, the trails will be marked to indicate which trails are open and closed to Fat Biking. 

There is a lower and upper snowshoe trail that will be groomed regularly to maintain good riding conditions.  The lower green loop has an intermediate skill rating. The upper loop (a combination of the pink, cyan, red and lime green trails) has a very difficult rating.

 

FAT BIKING ETIQUETTE

• At Walden, you must be a Walden Cross Country club member or day pass holder.

• Yield to all other users when riding.

• Slow down and look up-trail and yield to oncoming skiers when crossing a ski trail. Skiers don’t have brakes but you do!

• When meeting a Snowshoer on the trail, step off your bike and allow them to pass.

•  When riding on the snowshoe trails, do not use the ski trail crossings as a rest area.  Stop for a rest & chat on the snowshoe trails.

•  Ride only on trails open for biking; check at the Chalet on which trails are open.

•  If you need to walk up a hill on a single track, walk on the left side, with your bike on your right.

• Minimum tire tread width is 4.0”, but in soft conditions a 4.5" tire works much better.  Fat Bikes Only – No Mountain Bikes with tires narrower than 4.0”.

•  Keep tire pressure low – 3-8 psi

•  Allow the trail to set up (harden) for a few hours after grooming and before riding.

• Dogs are not allowed on the trails. 

•  When is it too soft to ride?

  • As a general rule, if you have to get off and push your bike, the snow is too soft and you shouldn’t be on the trails. If you leave a rut, it’s too soft.

  • Once the temperature rises above zero, trail sections in the sun will quickly become too soft to ride.

• If you are leaving a trough that is deeper than an inch or are having a hard time riding in a straight line, your tire pressure is too high or the snow is to soft to be on the trails.

• Be a good trail citizen and if for some reason, you leave ruts that will impact the trails negatively, please leave the trail.  Also, please let the Chalet desk know so we can let others know.

 

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For more information about riding the Walden Trails, visit our buddies' website!